


Ghost in the Machine

by Bookworm39



Series: Ghost in the Machine [1]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: (sorta. Mike's mixed race), AKA Mike doesn't get his ass fired, Alt Title: Bookworm tortures her fav, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Male Character, Brotp, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Developing Friendships, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Hawaiian Character, Headcanon, I'm honestly just abusing tags now, Mental Health Issues, Near Death Experiences, Semi-Episodic, Supernatural Elements, does including a ghost character count as major character death?, i'm not sure, like. things are pretty chill when people aren't about to die painfully, weird mix of horror and slice of life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-08-16 03:38:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8085373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookworm39/pseuds/Bookworm39
Summary: Mike Schmidt finally held down a job for more than a week. It really has it all-awful pay, a downright evil boss, murderous animatronics, the ghost of the guy before him... Really, this job has everything a man could ask for. All sarcasm aside, being a night guard at Freddy Fazbear's sucks. And things are going to get worst before they get better.(As seen on FF.net, with some rewriting!)





	1. Automatic in more than one sense

**Author's Note:**

> So. figured I should finally post this here, too. Enjoy!

I started having the nightmares when I was eight.

My memories of them were always foggy, and things seemed change a little each time, but there were a few constants. Some kind of kids' restaurant. A man arguing with me. Someone telling me to get out of the way. Blood... Blood everywhere. A big toothy... _thing_ glaring down at me.

Like I said, they tended to change from night to night, mostly in the ending. Sometimes I woke up before it could do anything. Sometimes I got pulled out of the way. And sometimes... Well, I'd rather not talk about it. Point is, the nightmares sucked. Every time, I'd wake up in a cold sweat. Once, not long after moving out, I'd curled up in a ball and started sobbing. I hadn't gotten a lot of help from my family, even when I lived with them, but waking up from what felt like near-death in an empty house? Not fun.

They were always bad, but not long ago, I suffered from the worst one yet. Fifteen years after they started, almost to the day. This time, it got me.

My vision went black. I could hear screaming. Then, I heard a girl's voice calling my name.

_"Michael... Michael, you silly boy."_

Was it one of my sisters? It didn't sound like them. It was smooth and high-pitched, with a very unchild-like tone. "Who... Who's there?" I called out. To my surprise, unlike any other time I spoke in these dreams, it was real-life, grown-up me talking, not dream, little-kid me. I felt myself grow weak, and I heard giggling.

_"You shouldn't do this... You saw what they can do, and yet you go back?"_

"W-what are you talking about?" Now I was freaking out. What was this kid (assuming it even _was_ a kid) getting at?

_"Why, Michael, I know it's been a long time, but you didn't really forget my friends?"_

I tried to stand, but my legs crumbled beneath me. I couldn't stand, I couldn't see, and I had no clue what was going on. "Please... just let me wake up," I whimpered.

 _"Whatever do you mean, silly?"_ Another giggle.

"I know I'm dreaming. I _know_ I'm _dreaming!_ " I started yelling. "It got me, now let me _wake up!"_

 _"Oh, Michael,"_ the voice said, fading out as I drifted back into consciousness. _"Don't you get it? You nightmare's just beginning."_

My eyes snapped open, my eyes scanning the room for demon children. Still, even as I sat there, fully awake, I heard the voice speak one last time, as my eyes fell on my new work uniform, draped over the foot of my bed and ready for my first night on the job.

_"And this time, there's no waking up."_

* * *

I can handle a midnight-to-six shift. The murder-bots? Not so much.

I closed the right door, knowing Chica was on the other side, and put my head in my hands. _Wow, this desperate for a job, Schmidt?_ I caught myself thinking. _Willing to work this job just to keep the old woman off your back?_

Well, yeah. I couldn't get a job anywhere, and while my family was willing to give me _some_ money, they wanted to know I was doing something with my time. And if this was the only place I could hold down a job? Well, I'd have to suck it up.

In my defense, there was also a bit of a moral reason for me to work at Freddy's. I didn't want to leave some other guy to deal with these metal scumbags. A newbie would get torn apart in a night without help. So, here I was, sealed in an office, fighting off animatronics who (for some reason) thought I was a metal endoskeleton. And that's if that was really the problem with them.

Yeah, great excuse. It didn't make sense-I mean, why wouldn't they fix it?

_Because the lady running this train wreck has no regard for human life?_

_That_ I knew for sure, judging by her response to my question about the guy who worked here before me.

_"Don't worry, Mr. Schmidt. If we deem it necessary, we'll file a missing persons report."_

_Bullshit,_ I thought, and sighed. Poor guy. He was just a guy like me, literally fighting to make a living. I bet he had a family, friends-people who missed him. Those messages he left were the only reason I lasted as long as I did. Even if I got through the first night solo, I never would've known what to do with Foxy.

_Speaking of which, what are those buggers doing?_

I lifted the tablet, only to hear a **thunk** sound to my left. _The door!_

I spun around, thinking one of those things had snuck in and locked me in with them. But there was nothing.

...Except for banging on the other side of the door, that is. I jumped, and then checked the cameras. Sure enough, Pirate's Cove was empty.

Well. A door just saved my life. That... happened.

 _No,_ I thought, and shook my head. There was no way that door just acted on its own accord. Must have been a fluke in the wiring or something; made as much sense as anything in this place. I walked over and hit the button to open the door. Suddenly, it shut again.

"...The hell?" I said to no one in particular. Was the door broken?

"I don't need to waste power!" I yelled. It was then that realized that I was yelling at a door. I put a hand to my face. _Great, now I'm going crazy. Must have had too much coffee._ I went to open the door again.

_Don't!_

I froze. A voice-soft, almost inaudible, but still there. Was I hearing things now?

_Mike, ch-check the light._

I stepped back. I didn't know if that was my own mind talking, if I really _was_ crazy, or what. Still, I turned the light outside the door on, only to see Bonnie walking away.

I couldn't believe it. If the door didn't do-whatever the hell it just did, I would have died.

I wasn't even sure how it closed itself, or what the voice was, but I didn't care. If this was going to keep happening, I was going to abuse this power.

"So, let me get this straight," I said, "you can close yourself, so as long as I tell you when to do it, I don't need to go near the halls and risk them jumping me?"

The door, being a door, didn't respond.

I grinned. Oh, I was going to abuse the _hell_ out of this power.

* * *

And that's how I started a partnership with a sentient door.

Man, when you say it out loud, it sounds kinda nuts.

"Freddy's in the right hall!" I yelled, and that door automatically closed.

I let out a sigh of relief. Not having to get near those doors was nice, but I couldn't help but worry the doors would stop doing whatever they were doing any minute now, and I'd be dead meat. Still, for the time being, I was fine. Had been for a few days now.

I checked the cameras, adjusting my glasses. Foxy had just made a run at me, so he was back behind the curtains in Pirate Cove. I heard noises from the kitchen, so that's probably where Chica was, and Bonnie was in the hallway, which might become a problem any second now.

Smiling, I put the tablet down and checked my watch. _4:50._ About an hour left. Turning the tablet back on, I thought, _Alright, Mike. you can do this. Nothing to worry about._

Right as I thought that, I remembered why people recommend against tempting fate.

_M-Mike, watch out!_

I whirled around, only to see Bonnie lunge at me with an ear-piercing screech. I hadn't closed the door, leaving myself open to attack on one side. The animatronic grabbed me by the arm, dragging me towards the door. I thrashed and screamed, trying desperately to get loose, but it wasn't working. _Oh please no I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die oh god oh god-_

_"Let him go, y-you monster!"_

Now I _knew_ I wasn't hearing things. The voice was clearer now, not just a faint whisper. I felt someone grab my free arm and pull. The desk fan went flying over my head and hit Bonnie in the face. He flinched away, letting go of my arm.

I fell forward, grabbing the desk to support myself. I stood there for a moment, trying to catch my breath. I heard the door slam next to me, and thought hazily, _Oh, hey, that still works. Good to know.  
_

"Agh, stupid rabbit... Are you alright?" _Oh, yeah._ I still had the voice in my head here, which just saved my hide. Either that or some poor schmuck that got locked in here after-hours. Or maybe a really friendly-and stupid-burglar...

"Mike! A-are you okay?" the voice repeated, sounding more panicked now. "P-p-please, answer me!"

"I'm fine, don't worry," I panted. I took a second more to regain my bearings, pushed my hair out of my face, and looked up, trying to see where the voice was coming from. The desk had been trashed, with things thrown everywhere, probably in search of a weapon. _Gonna have to pick that up before leaving..._ My eyes wandered to the left door, and I froze, my jaw hanging open.

There was a man standing there, staring out the window. He was older-and taller- than me, mid-thirties if I were to guess.

The catch? I could see through him.

 _Oh, joy,_ I thought, _now we have a ghost problem._

Then promptly fell on my face.


	2. At least he's not trying to kill me

"M-Mike! Oh, no, what happened?"

Surprisingly, I didn't pass out. Probably looked kinda like it, huh? Nah, as dumb as it sounds, my hands must have started sweating. Cue my support sliding out from under me. Never say I'm not graceful.

I placed a hand on the desk, trying to stand back up. Yeah, this wasn't going well. The ghost ran towards me, and I flinched back, sure he was going to steal my soul or something. He stopped a few feet away from me and spoke. "L-listen, I'm not going to hurt you-"

"Who are you? How do you know who _I_ am?" I snapped, starting to freak out. I placed a hand on my head, trying to stop the growing headache. "What the hell's going on here...?"

The ghost stepped back, fidgeting with his hands anxiously. "Look, I-I get that this doesn't make any sense, but, um, you have to trust me. Just... let me explain." I stared for a moment, then nodded. He sighed, smiling. "Th-thank you.

"My name's Thomas. I worked here before you, until, uh... Well, I think you can guess." He crossed his arms and looked away. "Anyway, I-I-I saw you needed help, and I couldn't let what happened to me happen to you."

I eased myself upright. Well, he seemed harmless enough. I took a closer look at him. Sure enough, he had the blue shirt and grey vest of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria's security unit. He had light brown hair, which was a complete mess, and if I was right, brown eyes. He had a few scars on his arms, including a wide one that ran from his wrist halfway to his elbow, and an small, open cut above his eyebrow. I'd always thought ghosts would look the same as when they died, and while he mostly fit that standard, there was one oddity: he was clean of blood and major wounds-y'know, the kind you'd expect from someone impaled by metal and wires, since he probably got stuffed into one of those suits backstage.

Hold on a sec. He was the guy here before I got hired? And I thought the voice sounded familiar... "So you worked here before me?" I asked. Without waiting for a response, I continued, "Were you the one who left those messages on the phone?"

He looked up from the floor and nodded. "Uh, yeah, th-that was me. Sounds like they helped...?"

I dropped the remaining tension. Yeah, no way someone like this could be dangerous. "Are you kidding? I probably would've _died_ without your help." I grinned despite myself. "Thanks a ton, man."

Thomas scratched the back of his neck, smiling a bit. "What, that? I-it was nothing, really." He continued, "Hey, ah, I-I'm sorry if I scared you, but I'm really glad you're okay." He sighed, saying, "Like I said, I just couldn't stand by a-and let someone else get hurt."

We heard moaning from outside the open door. In an instant, Thomas was on the other side of the room, hitting the button and closing the door. He turned on the light, showing Chica standing on the other side. He looked back at me and (probably after seeing my mouth hanging open like an idiot) said, "Heh, g-guess I should say I was the one messing with the doors, too. Thought it'd be a bit easier for you."

I sat down in the office chair, sighing. "Seriously, thanks. You saved my life."

Thomas came over and put a hand on my shoulder. It was cold to the touch, and felt like it was charged with static electricity. "I-I already told you. It was nothing." He shrugged slightly, saying, "So, I-I guess you're saying you don't mind me... staying to help you out? Um, it's not like I have a lot to do around here. I mean, I d-don't think they can see me, so I could go anywhere I wanted, but..." He trailed off, eyes drifting away again.

I hesitated, trying to find a real reason not to. Pros: Not being nearly as likely to die, plus having someone to talk to. Cons: ...None came to mind. I sighed, and then said, "Sure, why not? I could use the company anyway. It's better than talking to a set of automatic doors."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I-I noticed. I thought you've only been here for a few weeks. Is it already g-getting to you?"

"Well, if they could move by themselves, it can't be too big a leap to assume they can hear me," I said, faking offense. Honestly, what was he thinking? When he gave me a funny look, I turned to the door and muttered, "Don't mind him. He's boring."

Thomas put a hand over his eyes, obviously pondering whether it was really worth his time to save my sorry ass. Luckily for me, he sighed and said, "W-well, as long as you can keep those things out, I-I'm sure you'll be fine. How much power's left, anyway?"

I turned on the tablet. "Not a lot. About 20 percent, but a little less than an hour left to six. I think we can make it, so long as we _don't leave the doors closed when we don't need to,_ " I said, looking at him pointedly at that last part.

The other man blinked, and then went to open the doors, saying, "Heh, sorry. I-I didn't want anything sneaking in while we were talking."

"Yeah, they weren't real great about not interrupting you at times when I started here, either." I cracked my knuckles and started flipping through the cameras. Suddenly I saw a flicker of movement, and before I got a good look at it, I was on my feet, yelling, "Foxy's making a charge! Close the door!"

I swear, if he wasn't a ghost, we would have been screwed. We both ran for the door at once, and he-I kid you not- went right through me. I froze, a sudden chill settling over me, while he kept going, slamming a fist onto the button. If he had been flesh and blood, we would've smacked right into each other, hit the floor, and died.

By the way, have you ever had a ghost pass through you? It's not pleasant, let me tell you. It sends a freezing chill straight to your bones, along with a slight electric-like shock.

Over the banging, I heard Thomas mutter, "C'mon, Foxy, nobody invited you..." He turned back to face me, saying, "Hey, a-are you okay?"

"...Yeah," I said with a shudder. "I'm fine. Is the fox gone?"

He looked at me with concern, and then turned on the light outside the door. "Gone. Uh, want me to open the door?"

I waved a hand and sat back down. "Sure. Gotta conserve power, right?"

He raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing me. "Yeah," He hit the door button and walked up to me. Looking over my shoulder, he cringed, saying, "Ugh, I-I hate it when they do that."

That, by the way, was the animatronics staring at the camera from the stage. I nodded, and then said with a grin, "If it helps, at least they're not all doing it. I've had that happen once. Not cool."

"Egh, I can imagine," he said. He moved to the left door, leaning out casually. I mean, it's not like you have to worry about getting killed when you're a ghost, but it still struck me as sort of dumb.

I found myself asking, "You seem awful calm about the whole 'Being dead' thing. Are you alright?"

I could see Thomas flinch even from the desk, and I was worried I crossed some invisible line. _Of course he's not alright with it. What the hell were you thinking?_

Thankfully, he said, "I-I'm fine, Mike, don't worry." He continued quietly, "To be honest, the only reason I'm so calm now is because I got all my panicking out in the nights that followed."

I wasn't sure what to say. What was I _supposed_ to say to that? I was never very good at comforting people, let alone someone who freaking _died._

Anyway, I turned the cameras off and headed towards the other door, trying to avoid making this any more awkward than it already was. I flipped the light on; all clear. Except... Stupidly, I leaned out, trying to get a closer look at the shape in the shadows.

Bad move.

"Shit!" I yelled as a brown shape lurched at me with a scream. I ducked back into the office, slamming the door on the way. "How the hell did Fazbear get here so fast?!" I yelled, resting against the door and trying to catch my breath.

Thomas ran up, looking out the window. "I-I'm not sure! I hate it, they're way too fast." He then muttered, "It's really bad when they all try it."

I gritted my teeth, shuddering at the thought of four killer robots rushing at you from all sides. "I can imagine. Is he gone?"

Thomas shook his head. "Uh, no, still here. Luckily, I think we're almost-" He was cut off by the chimes of the clock on the desk.

"Saved by the bell," I said gleefully. Running for the desk, I grabbed the tablet and checked Cam 1A, and sure enough, all three active animatronics were heading back on stage, and Cam 1C revealed Foxy was pulling his head back behind the curtain.

I fell back into the chair, sighing with relief. One more night out of the way. I waved to Thomas, saying, "Go ahead and open the door. We're home free."

Thomas grinned, pushing the button to the door. "Heh, n-n-nice work, Mike. Looks like someone knows what he's doing here."

"Yeah, well, we all know it's not me."

* * *

I walked out of the office a short while later, a tad dizzy from the events of the night. Thomas followed me, a look of pride of his face.

"Well, there's another six hours of my life I'm never getting back," I said, though I was in a much better mood than you might think. I just made it through another night of hell, and in relatively good shape, all things considered.

Of course, the moment I get even the least bit optimistic, the universe has to go and ruin it for me.

I heard the front door open, and in walked Bella Scotsman, the queen of horrible bosses. How else can you describe the woman who left her employees to deal with murderous animatronics?

And if there was any doubt in my mind that people didn't die here, the man standing behind me was proof enough on his own-especially with the death glare he was giving her.

"Hello, Schmidt," Bella said, walking towards me. "I see everything went alright here."

"Yeah," I said, watching her go by, towards the office. "I did great. Fantastic, in fact. After all, it was only my life on the line."

Yeah, yeah, I know. I shouldn't be doing this. Only thing you want to do less than piss off a murderer is piss off your boss. And judging by the look on her face as she turned around, I'd done both quite well.

"Yes, well," she said as she stared me down, "that would be something I wouldn't mind losing."

Right then, I saw Thomas rush towards her out of the corner of my eye. Instinctively, I raised an arm to hold him back, not thinking that he might just go through it. Thankfully for Bella, the gesture was enough to stop him. Instead, he was content to glare her way.

She raised an eyebrow at my sudden movement, and then looked over my shoulder at where Thomas was. The animatronics couldn't see him, but could she?

Either way, she took a step back and said, "Well, you'd best be on your way, Schmidt. I'll see you tonight." Shaking her head, she went to the office and out of sight.

I looked at Thomas, who was still focused on the spot where Bella stood just a moment ago. "Thomas?" I asked, under my breath. "Are you alright?"

He hesitated, then shook his head. "No. N-no, I'm not," he said, walking back towards the back room. I started to follow him, but he raised a hand to signal 'stop.' "Please, Mike, I need to be alone." He turned towards me and added, "Um, same time tonight, I assume?"

I shrugged. "As long as that last stunt of mine didn't get me fired. 'Course, there's no way I'll be that lucky."

He allowed himself a small smile, and then said, "See you then, kid."

And with that, he was gone.


	3. Some questions, not a lot of answers

I groaned as I hauled myself out of bed. "Well, time for another day in robot hell," I muttered, opening the fridge to get something to eat. Didn't want to get tempted to make a run for the kitchen once those things started moving.

As I got ready, I thought about what happened the night before. In addition to four killer animatronics, I had a ghost lurking around. Interesting. I mean, I guess a ghost isn't the _weirdest_ thing that could show up there, but still...

I still didn't know why I trusted him so quickly. I mean, I guess I had no reason _not_ to, but I'd seen what that place was like. If a dead person showed up out of the blue like that, you can't blame me for getting scared. But if he was planning something, he would've done it while I couldn't see him, right?

I paused, thinking for a moment. Kinda strange I couldn't see him, wasn't it? Could he just turn invisible whenever he wanted? He'd seemed worried about scaring me, so maybe he thought helping me out-of-sight would work better? And hey, if he could just make himself disappear, what else could he do? What were normal ghost things-turning invisible, going through walls, maybe even possession?

_...Why don't I just ask him?_

Sure, it sounded dumb at first, but if was really helpful, he'd at least try to answer my questions. Test how trustworthy he was and get an inventory of what he could do at the same time? It was a win-win!

After getting dressed and ready, I checked my watch one more time. 11:45, just enough time to make the short drive to Freddy Fazbear's. I jumped into the car, praying to any higher being that there wouldn't be a traffic jam. Last thing you want to do is show up to this job after your shift has started.

* * *

I pushed open the doors to the pizzeria, taking a deep breath and steeling myself for the next six hours. _I can do this,_ I thought, clenching my fists. _You've done it before, and you can do it again. Especially with someone to help you._ Making my way towards the office, I heard voices.

"-won't need to put an ad in the paper," Bella said, leaving the office. Seeing me, she said, "Hello, Mr. Schmidt. Good to see you tonight."

I nodded as she passed by me. Better save the insults 'til after my shift. Turning back to the other person, I said, "Hey, Walter."

Walter Jackson was Bella's assistant, somewhere between a secretary and a minion. He seemed to be a nice guy, just not the brightest bulb in the box. Or maybe even more desperate for money than me.

He smiled at me. "Hey, Mike. You've been doing alright?"

Dumb as a box of rocks, the eternal optimist, or just didn't want to piss his boss off? An age old question, and one I don't think I'll ever get an answer to. "Meh, it's life. Could be worse." I stepped out of the way, taking the opportunity to shoot a glare towards Bella. She didn't seem to notice, and neither did Walter, who passed by me.

"Well, I don't want to hold you up," Bella said. "Good luck, Mike." She waved cheerily to me, a sweet smile on face. "Not like you'll need it, though."

Walter said, "Yeah, I should go too. See ya, Mike."

I waved to the two, forcing a small smile as they left. When they were both out the door, I dropped both my hand and my smile. I took another breath. _All right, put on your game face, Mike. You can do this, got it?_

"Got it," I said out loud. My eyes wandered to the show stage, where the animatronics stood. "You guys better watch out," I said, putting my fingers to my eyes in a "Watching You" motion. "I've got a partner to help tonight."

Well, probably. But they didn't need to know that.

* * *

The first hour went by smoothly. Bonnie and Chica showed up at the door once each, and Foxy, despite peeking out of the cove, hadn't made a run at me yet. Fine with me.

Come 1:10, though, I got a more pleasant visitor.

"M-Mike? Are you there?"

I looked up from the tablet, raising an eyebrow. "No, Bella fired me. The new guard is a set of magic doors."

I heard an annoyed sigh, and Thomas entered, shaking his head. "I-I guess I shouldn't ask dumb questions. Uh, how's it going?"

I shrugged, absentmindedly flipping through the cameras. "Well, Freddy hasn't moved, so that's good. Foxy's still in the Cove, and Bonnie and Chica-" I heard a gasp, and when I looked up, Thomas wasn't there. "-Aaand you're gone."

I heard one of the doors close, and saw he had hit the left door button. He gave me a scolding look, saying, "Y-you need to pay more attention."

Looking down, I realized I'd stopped on the Pirate Cove camera. Which was empty. I looked up sheepishly as the fox banged on the door. "Oops."

Thomas sighed and shook his head, still frowning. "Look, I-I get this is a lot to handle, working this job, but you have to learn to multi-task if you want to make it." When the banging stopped, he hit the button.

"Hey, wait," I said, rushing for the door, "Shouldn't we check and make sure he's gone first?"

Thomas shook his head, saying, "Nah, as soon as he stops banging on the door, he leaves. Doesn't have the patience to wait you out like the others, I guess. Um, anyway, you can open the door as soon as he stops beating on it."

"Huh." I picked up the tablet. Flipping through the cams again, I relayed the animatronics positions to Thomas. "Alright, Bonnie's backstage, Chica sounds like she's in the kitchen, and Freddy's still on stage. Thanks, Fazbear," I added. "Looks like you are good for something." I turned back to Thomas, who was staring at the floor. "Hey, you alright?"

"Huh?" He looked up. "Oh, uh, yeah. Just... looking for something."

I got up and walked towards him. "Do 'ya really think I'm going to fall for that? C'mon, it's the oldest lie in the book."

His head shot up, and I saw his eyes were shining, like he'd been crying. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Mike, I-I-I know you're probably just trying to help, b-but it's nothing for you to worry about."

I wrung my hands out awkwardly. "Right, sorry."

He shook his head. "D-don't worry. I'm sure I'll find it later." His eyes wandered to the hallway as he said, "Hey, I saw you talking to Bella. Did she say anything about, uh, this morning?"

"What, you scared she saw you?" I meant it as a joke, but by the look on his face, I'd hit the nail on the head. "Hey, don't worry. She acted like nothing happened."

"Yeah, she's good at that..." Thomas grumbled, sticking his head out into the hallway. He looked around, then ducked back in. "Guess Bonnie's still backstage?"

"Let's see." I dropped into the desk chair, grabbing the tablet. "He's in the dining room right now." I checked the rest of the cameras, making sure we weren't about to get ambushed. Chica was in the bathrooms, Freddy was still on stage _(Rough day at work today, man?)_ and Foxy was back behind his curtain. I flipped to one camera, then said, "Any particular reason there's a camera in the closet? There's nothing in there that's gonna come to life and try to murder me in there too, right?"

"Heh, nah, I think they just put it in there so nobody would steal anything. Uh, Bonnie goes in there sometimes, but that's it, I think."

"You think? I thought you knew everything about this hellish place, what with working here for-" I looked up, realizing something. "Hey, how long did you work here, anyway?"

"About six months."

I nearly dropped the tablet. "Six months?!" He nodded from his position by the right door. "How the hell did you last six months? Why did you last six months? Please tell me you got a freaking raise or something."

He hesitated before speaking. "Uh, mostly luck, I-I think. Rode on luck until I figured out how to survive."

I was about to point up that he still needed to answer my second question, but then I noticed his posture. He was slumped over, hugging one arm around himself. He was dead. He died here, probably only a few weeks ago, and I was pestering him. It hadn't quite set in, I guess, that he was actually dead.

_And to think, maybe, if I was faster, I could've helped him..._

I looked away, feeling more than a bit guilty. I looked back at the screen, checking the cameras in an attempt to distract myself, but I couldn't help but wonder why he worked here for so long.

Perhaps some things are best left for later...


	4. What do you know? This might work!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! I know 2016 wasn't a great year for a lot of us, but hopefully things will go better this time!  
> Anyway, sorry for taking so long to update. I can't guarantee a great schedule from here on out, since I don't want to leave a deadline in the dust again, but I'll give it my best!

Somewhere around two o'clock, Thomas and I seemed to have reached a silent agreement that I wouldn't ask him anything personal. He kept an eye on the doors, while I monitored the cameras.

I guessed it would be fine. Focus less on the past, more on the present? I could still try to figure out what he could do as a ghost without making him uncomfortable, right? I'd already gotten under his skin once, apparently; I didn't want to do it again.

I was lost in my own thoughts, trying to work out how to approach the topic, when I felt a hand brush over my shoulder. I jumped, but turned to see Thomas. He pulled his hand back, suddenly looking nervous. "Uh, sorry, but are you alright? You look a bit... ill."

"Hm?" I rubbed my eyes, bumping my glasses in the process. Taking a moment to clean them with my shirt, I nodded, saying, "Yeah, just tired. Body's still adjusting to a night shift, ya know? Usually adrenaline keeps me going, but it's been kinda quiet, so..." I trailed off, putting my glasses back on. When my vision readjusted, I noticed Thomas wasn't there.

Well, crap. I blinked, making sure I hadn't just missed him. He was sorta transparent, so that was possible, right? But no, he was well and truly gone. "Thomas? Where'd you go?"

I was just starting to worry-either for Thomas's safety or my own sanity- when I heard him yell "Sorry!" and he came back in, dragging a chair behind him. "I, uh, I was getting tired of standing." He grinned sheepishly, pushing the chair over next to mine, and sat down, rubbing the back of his neck.

I sighed, but I shrugged it off, instead saying, "I didn't know ghosts' legs could get tired."

"Heh, not really… I-I just wanted to sit down for a bit." He leaned over, taking the tablet off the desk when I reached for it, saying, "Hey, uh, you take a moment to breath, alright? You look like you could use it."

I looked at him, then smiled slightly. "Fine. Thanks." I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes and taking a moment to breath. Now was as good a time as any to carry out my plan, right? Thomas had already shown he could talk and watch the animatronics at the same time.

_Then again, you see how well that turned out for him..._

I opened my eyes, glancing at Thomas, then said, "Hey, can you… leave? The pizzeria, I mean."

He looked up, his brow furrowing. "N-no, I can't. I've tried, but I… can't."

 _Man, that must suck._ I knew I wouldn't want to be stuck at Freddy's all day. Rubbing my forehead, I said, "Stupid question number two: can you, I dunno, make things float?"

Thomas snorted, shaking his head. "Uh, not that I know of." He made a face at the screen, but changed views before I could look.

"Alright then. Mind-reading?"

A strange glance. "I-I'm sensing a theme here."

"Really?" I feigned innocence. "I wonder what it is?"

He sighed. "N-no, I can't read minds. Sorry."

"Well, good. I don't want anybody in my head, personally. Messy place." I paused, then said "Possession?"

We went on like this for a bit, me bouncing ideas off of him and him shooting them down. Soon enough, I ran out of ideas. Shame, too-not just because that meant I was at a loss, but because seeing Thomas so confused was the highlight of the week so far.

I ran a hand through my hair, thinking. "So, really, being a ghost is the same as being human. Boring as hell."

He shrugged. "Well, uh, I might be able to do something, but I don't know what…" After standing up and closing the left door, right before Foxy hit it again, he added, "I-I mean, it's not like you can look that kind of thing up, right?"

"Yeah." The gears in my head started turning, and I was hit with a thought. "So we'll the first to record our research!"

"Hm?" He turned back to me, baffled. "W-w-what do you mean?"

"Well, think about it," I said, waving my hand in the air idly. "You said yourself that you _could_ have some crazy powers, but you don't know how to use them." The more the plan pulled together, the crazier it sounded. Just the way I like it. "So, why don't we test? Trial and error, the way it's meant to be done!"

A moment of silence. "So, w-wait. You… _are_ aware that this job is dangerous enough as it is, right? A-and you want to purposely try things that could get you hurt, or worse, while you're here?" I nodded, and Thomas shook his head. "No. Not at all."

I snorted in amusement, leaning back again. "Aw, c'mon, how bad can it be?"

"Mike, I'm serious." I sat up and saw the stern look on his face. "I-I won't let you mess around during your shift. W-what if you got hurt-or worse?" He pursed his lips. "Please, there, uh, there has to be a better way to do it than putting yourself at risk."

I sighed. I guess he had a point. Annoying as it was, I kinda had to focus on the whole 'not dying' bit for six hours. I folded my arms and rested them on the desk, placing my head on top of them. Something about this problem was just sort of… getting to me. My thoughts would start racing sometimes when I got frustrated; I'd get a bit overwhelmed, and I just wanting to get away from everyone. It was dumb, but I just couldn't help it.

"Oh, M-Mike, don't beat yourself up over it, alright?" Thomas touched my shoulder, but I shrugged him off, groaning. That was another thing-I hated being touched when I got like this. I heard him sigh, and I flinched. Crap, did I do something wrong?

I guess not, because I heard him sit down next to me and start talking. "I-I-I'm sorry, I forgot some people have a, uh, a _thing_ about being touched." I glanced up, trying to pull myself together, and saw him smiling at me. "I-I'll wait. I can handle things for you."

I blinked, then sat up, shaking my head. "Nah, you don't have to do that. I just… have these moments, I guess. Dunno why."

Thomas hummed thoughtfully, then picked up the tablet. _(So much for me handling it myself...)_ "Uh, y-you might want to see a doctor or something about that. That m-m-might be a real issue."

"Can't afford it. Besides, I've gone this far. Can't be anything real, can it?" I added, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me." I stared at the wall, thinking. Then, something hit me. "I could ask for extra hours!"

Thomas glanced up, then started grinning. "Yeah, then y-y-you'd both get paid extra and get a chance to try to figure out what I could do to help you!" I stood up, pacing the room, as he said, "I-I mean, Bella doesn't really get a lot of people to work here-usually she just has Walt handle watching things until about nine in the morning-maybe she'll let you work more!" He grabbed my wrist as I walked by him, pulling me to a stop and adding, "Good th-thinking, Mike!"

I stopped, rubbing the back of my neck. "What, that? Was kinda obvious, once I thought about it…" Still, I had to grin, too. It was nice, honestly, hearing somebody say that to me. I fell back into my chair, sending it rolling back about a foot. "Thanks, man." Thomas nodded in response, reaching a hand out, but stopped a few inches from my shoulder, making a face. I stared, a bit confused, until I remembered what happened earlier. I laughed despite myself, saying, "Hey, no worries, alright?"

"Ah, s-sorry, I-I-I just didn't want to upset you." He rubbed my shoulder, smiling awkwardly. I saw a flicker of movement from the tablet out of the corner of my eye, but Thomas had grabbed it before I could act. "Oh, n-no, kid. I thought I asked you to take a break?"

I sighed. "Really, Thomas?" I reached for the tablet, but he leaned back, holding it away. "Come on! What the hell, man?" I stood up, trying to get behind him, but Thomas lurched to his feet, ducking away.

"Stop, ugh, s-stop being stubborn, Mike! I-I-I-'m trying to help!" He stepped back through the door, leaned against the wall on the other side of the hallway, and crossed his arms, tucking the tablet into the crook of his elbow.

I stopped short of the door, glaring at him. "Really?" I glanced down the hallway, mustered up my courage, and flailed one arm out the door and vaguely in the direction of Thomas. No luck. I looked up to see him covering his mouth with his free hand, clearly trying not to laugh. I pulled my arm back in, staring daggers. "Listen, this seems ridiculous, but I'm not quite ready to trust you with my life yet, alright? Cut me some slack."

That seemed to get to him. He sighed. "L-look, I mean it, kid. Uh, y-you really look like you could use a break." He shifted for a moment as we stared at each other, then I sighed, too. Sure, this was annoying, being told to let somebody else do the job (hey, I have a bit of an ego, what can I say?), but he really seemed like he wanted to help. Besides, I had bigger issues...

"The hell's with all this 'kid' stuff all of a sudden? Are you trying to pull some sort of seniority thing on me?" I huffed, but stepped aside, inviting him back into the office.

"W-w-well, if it works, then yes." I groaned as Thomas went by, then yelled when he ruffled my hair. I reached up to pull it out of my face, and when I could see again, Thomas was trying-once again-to hide his laughter.

"Good lord-" I let out a breath through my nose. "Fine. You win." I sat down, crossing my arms and resting my chin on them. "Don't get me killed, alright?"

"I-I-I won't, d-don't worry!" I heard one of the doors shut, then let myself relax. Maybe things would turn out fine after all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming back to say that I'm tackling something new that I've added recently: Mike's less-than-ideal mental health. I don't want to say what it is just yet, but I've never written a mental illness before, so if anything seems off now, or if-once I go into more detail-things don't line up, tell me, OK? I'd hate to screw this up, but I'm sure something will go awry :P. Hope this was at least sort of worth the wait!


	5. Shenanigans ensue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Yeah, just shoot me now.  
>  I know, I literally haven't updated this story all year! I won't even apologize, since I'm sure you guys are tired of that nonsense.  
> Still, I finally have a pretty solid gameplan for where the story's going from here, and hopefully that'll make this go a lot faster-before, I knew a couple of points I wanted to hit, but not what was in-between. Now, though, I should know what I want to do every chapter from here on out. I won't PROMISE faster updates, since you see how that's went so far, but I'll try.  
> Anyway, slight crude humor warning, since this is (mostly) a lighter one with focusing more on character interactions and things... get a little silly.

“Come at me!”

Thomas stared at me from across the room, amused. “Th-this didn’t work last time, Mike…”

“Well, try it again! Maybe you just need to move faster! With purpose!” I swear he just about choked on his laughter. “Look, I’ll turn away!” I said, spinning around 180 degrees as I did. “Maybe you need to sneak upon me!”

Just an uneventful morning of testing the limits of a ghost’s abilities. Bella had been confused by my asking to work longer hours, but she relented. Probably thought that’d give me more time to bleed out before she had to show up. Whatever. At least it gave me another two hours to work out a strategy for defending myself against the animatronics. Right now, Thomas and I were in the dining hall, trying to work out-

“Gahg!” Guess Thomas _did_ try to possess me again. I threw my arms around myself at the sudden chill. “Jesus..”

“Sorry!” I felt two clammy, semi-corporeal hands grab my shoulders, and Thomas rematerialized in front of me. “So, uh, t-that didn’t work.”

I gave him a death glare. I would’ve made a snarky comment, but this was my own damn idea, so I held back. “So, what next?”

"I-I don't know. This was, uh, kinda your idea..." Thomas watched as I paced the dining area, running a hand through my hair as I did. "If it's any help, I-I think we got closer this time than we did last time!"

"Nah, probably just wishful thinking." I sat down, drumming my fingers on the table in front of me.  _ Think, Micheal, think... _ "Hey, wait a sec." I sat up, waving him over. "I think I've heard about ghosts being able to haunt tech-like, I dunno, how you get lights flickering and TV static for no reason? Maybe you could just possess one of the cameras! Then, I could have you relay stuff to me without having to waste power!"

Thomas chuckled. "Where d-did you hear that idea, anyways?"

"Look, I’m pretty sure a movie based on a haunted TV just came out. It could happen!" I stood up, running back to the office, yelling behind me, "Try it out there real quick!"

I slid into the office chair, turning on the tablet and putting it back down. "Alright, see if you can force it to switch over!" I rested my elbows on the desk, staring at the tablet sitting in front of me.

Nothing happened. Maybe I see something interesting if I flipped the view to that camera myself...?

Nope. Just a vaguely-person-shaped blob of static moving in front of the camera. If anything, he was making it worse. I sighed, standing up.  _ Well, there goes another idea. _ What could we do next?

...And what the hell was Thomas doing?

When I reentered the dining area, he was hopping up and down in front of the camera, apparently trying to reach it. "Thomas, what the crap?"

He jumped in surprise and-good god, I guess we did learn something. Ghosts can blush. Very useful, I'm sure. At least, I ninety percent that's what was happening when he wheeled around to face me, clearly embarrassed. "Uh, w-w-well, y-you see..." He trailed off, eyes gluing themselves to the floor. "I-I-I-I think I-I'm, um, t-too short."

Jesus  _ Christ _ . Points for commitment, if nothing else. I tried not to laugh-I really did-but a fit of giggles slipped out, and I put a hand over my mouth to hide it.

That seemingly only flustered Thomas more. "I-I-I'm sorry, I-I was j-just trying to help...!" I'd never heard him so indignant. He wrung his hands together, fidgeting in place.

I waved a hand, still grinning. "Don't worry... 'm sorry, just... not what I thought I see when I got out here." I took a deep breath, shaking my head. "Alright, any bright ideas, man? I'm clearly a trainwreck, so-"

Thomas huffed through his nose. "W-well, that seemed, ah, a b-bit obvious to me." He walked past me, seemingly towards the back room.

"Says the one who implied the animatronics would shove a robot up my ass."

I had never seen someone double-take so hard in my life. He wheeled around, blabbering incoherently for a second, there finally got out, his voice an octave higher than usual,  _ "W-w-what?!" _

"Look, all I'm saying is there if the animatronics went to stuff an endoskeleton into me, they'd have a limited number of places to do so." Thomas still stared at me, horrified and confused, and I elaborated, "Third night? Mine at least, not sure about you. You mentioned playing dead so they'd think you were an empty costume, but then you recommended against it, since they might try to put one of those spare skeletons  _ inside _ me instead. Where the hell could it have gone?"

Thomas shuddered, then massaged his forehead with one fist. "I-I-That's not w-what-"

"Either through the mouth, or they'd sit it where the sun don't shine."

_ "P-please stop talking." _

This time, I doubled over laughing. "Oh, god. Sorry, Thomas, I should probably just stop-"

_ "Then stop." _ He sounded so angry, so serious, which only served to make the whole situation even funnier to me. "I-I-Good lord, Mike." Despite his attempts to hide it, I overheard quiet giggles coming from him.

That only drove me further. Probably a little too far, in hindsight, but thankfully, it didn't end up biting me in the ass. "Oh, holy crap, please tell me that's not what happened to you, was it?"

Thomas cracked. He burst into an all-out laughing fit. I walked up to him, wondering if he was alright, and I could see something shiny on his face. The guy was laughing himself to tears. The whole thing just made me start to chuckle again, and I sat down at one of the tables, resting my head in one hand and failing to fight back my own laughter.

After a moment of both of us laughing our asses off, Thomas sat down next to me. "Agh, M-Mike, really? How old are you, thirteen?" He smiled, then furrowed his brow. "Y-you know what I just, uh, j-just realized?"

I sat up. "What?"

He hummed thoughtfully, then said, "I don't... exactly remember how I died. I-I mean, I sort of remember, uh, that last call I left for you, b-but nothing after that..." He stared off into the distance. "I-I just... woke up back there." I felt like this was the part where I need to comfort him, but then he was giggling again, and he said, "S-so, for, uh, for all I know, I might've actually..." He pressed both hands over his face.

"Died from having a metal endoskeleton shoved up your-"

_ "Sh-shut up!" _ Suddenly, I felt a strong force shove me in the shoulder, and I was knocked to the floor. I heard a gasp, and Thomas dropped to his knees next to me. "M-M-Mike! I'm sorry, I-I'm so so-sorry!" He grabbed my shirt, trying to pull me upright.

I was struggling a bit to catch my breath, but I waved him off. "Nah, I'm fine." I paused, looking him over, than asked, "How're you doing that?"

"Hm? D-doing what?"

"Y'know." I flailed my hands, vaguely gesturing at his hands on my shirt. "Touching me. Didn't you go through me once or twice?"

"Oh." He let go of my shirt, pursing his lips. "I-I don't know. I just-i-it's kinda happens whenever I want it to."

"Huh."  _ So, if that means he can just make himself corporeal whenever he wants, and he seems stronger than he looks, then I wonder... _ "Hey."

"W-what?"

"Do me a favor?"

"O-of course!" Thomas sat back on his heels, smiling expectedly.

"Punch me."

"...W-w-what?" He tilted his head to the side. I could imagine what he was thinking: 'He's joking right? There's no way he's that stupid, right?'

"Seriously. Do it." I raised an eyebrow, wondering if he'd go for it.

"N-no? Mike-"

"Alright, you're right, that was a dumb plan." _ You're clearly too smart for that. But what about...  _ "Hey, I think I dropped something behind you. Can you get it?"

Thomas bit his lower lip, then nodded. "A-alright." He turned around.  _ Well, shit, didn't think it'd work. What about part two...? _

While he was turned away from me, looking for the imaginary item I'd lost, I lunched at him, trying to make my best impression of one of the animatronics. Not very good, in my opinion, but good enough to-

_ YEAH HOLY SHIT HE FELL FOR IT. _

Once again, I was lying on the floor, recovering from-well, to be honest, the best term for it was the world's most brutal bitchslap, received as retribution for (seemingly) trying to kill Thomas. "Sssson of a-"

"M-Mike!" Once again, Thomas was staring at me. As he grabbed my hand to hoist me up, he paused, then said, baffled, "Wh-wh-what was that for?!"

"Science."

Thomas stared down at me, his mouth hanging open slightly. Then he stood up, leaving me on the floor, and walked off to the office.

"Thomas? Hey, what the hell, buddy?" Groaning, I pushed myself off the floor, following Thomas.

When I entered, Thomas was rubbing his forehead, looking away from me. "Look, I'm sorry. I was just- y'know, you seemed like you were stronger than me-not, like, superhuman or anything, but more than I’d thought-and I was testing it if was true."

Thomas turned to face me, but stayed silent. Finally, he said, "How... are you s-still alive?"

That, I had no real answer to. I looked blankly at him. "Huh?"

Thomas bit his lip. "Uh, sorry, this is going to come off as harsh, I-I know it..." He trailed off.

"Dude, just say it. I'm sure whatever it is isn't something I've heard before."

"B-but that just, um, j-just makes it worse!" Thomas yelled. I honestly jumped a bit, and I saw him tense up himself. "I-I'm sorry, it's j-just..." He sighed, then continued, "Y-you just act so...  _ silly  _ and childish sometimes. I-I know this sounds mean, b-but... Either you shouldn't be acting so ridiculous if you're that good, or you should be de-" He shut up suddenly, looking away anxiously.

"Dead. You mean dead." Thomas refused to look at me, and I sighed, saying, "You don't have to bullshit me, alright? I've been working here for almost a month now, I get it-you do realize I'm talking to a dead guy, right?" I sat down at the desk, adding, "Already pretty well disillusioned by now."

Thomas fidgeted, still facing away from me. "I-I'm s-s-sorry," he mumbled.

I stared at the desk, then said, "I'm honestly mostly screwing off to make myself feel better." I thought I felt a change go through the room, but I didn't look up. "Maybe it's the only thing keeping me sane at this point-joking around and trying to make this seem less real." I glanced up at Thomas, and noticed he was finally looking at me, but in that brief glance, I couldn't make out his expression. "Can't be the only one who did that, right?"

I heard Thomas sit down next to me, and he muttered, "I-I guess I did a little. Uh, mostly I didn't want-" he grabbed my shoulder at this point, "-I-I didn't want other people knowing how bad it was."

I looked up at him for real this time, and saw his body facing away from me, ihs eyes trained on the floor between us. "Hey, not like you've fed me that before, right?"

He chuckled. "Heh, g-good point." He looked up from the floor and smiled. "I-I'm sorry, M-Mike. You really are braver than most people would be here."

"Hey, maybe it's 'cause I have my trusty sidekick here!"

Thomas grinned. "Pft, wh-who says I'm the sidekick?" He took a deep breath, then reached over and grabbed my hand, making me jump. "D-don't change, alright? Uh, I-I'm all for growing as a person and all that, b-but your goofing off... i-it's been helping me, too."

The hand holding mine was cold, and felt more like a liquid than a solid, even now. I rolled my eyes at the sentiment, then squeezed his hand back. "Jesus, you're awful touchy-feely, you know that, right?" I curled my free hand into a fist and held it up to his. "Fist-bump?"

Thomas laughed, then let go of my hand and tap his fist with mine. "And y-y-you have a, uh, frankly twisted sense of humor."

“Hey, you laughed.”

“O-only because of how weird it was!”

I heard the sound of the front door unlocking, and groaned. "Guess it's time for me to go." I stood up, then saluted Thomas. "See you tonight, man?"

"O-of course!" Thomas stood up, waving to me as I walked down the hallway. "S-stay safe!"

Bella was probably within earshot, so I just flashed Thomas a thumbs-up over my shoulder. Guess we’ll continue this adventures tonight…

...And I’d have to ask Thomas why he was heading towards the back room. But that would have to wait.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I snuck in a reference (that nobody will get) to another fandom site, plus a horror movie reference. Fun times!


End file.
